Speaking Truth to Power by Sr. Fatima Santiago

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We speak truth to power by our lives, not only in words but also in actions. Think of:

 +Franz Jagerstatter, a German, who refused to serve in Hitler’s army and paid for this with his life.

 +Moses who was reluctant to carry God’s message to mighty Pharaoh: “Let my people go!” After Moses had moved from the life of nobility to that of a shepherd, he had hesitated before God’s charge by protesting, “But who am I?” And God had reassured him, “I will be with you.” (Exodus 3: 11-12)

It is not only what you say, but how you say it!  Think of Jesus’ multiple interrogations by Pilate and the Sanhedrin about His being a king, the Messiah. He turned their words back on them: “It is you who say I am a king.” (John 18:37)

Yes, the world’s powerful do have power, and we are really powerless in their sight.  But organized people have power and dignity as well and can stand on it!  Think of Gandhi in the face of British occupiers. They frequently imprisoned him.  Yet he said to them, “Yes, we really want you to leave our land!” These words of his were directed to those finely clad men when Gandhi stood before them clad as a peasant. He put them in their place!  The only thing they had not yet done to him was to kill him.  Acting like Gandhi takes courage and perseverance. 

In our own time, we have had the inimitable example of John Lewis!  He was guided by Gandhi’s principle of non-violence, no matter what violence was done to him!  His favorite description of speaking truth to power was “making good trouble.”

When those with earthly power use insults in an effort to put you down, you must stand firmly and non-violently, secure in the knowledge of who you are as God’s son/daughter. Remember -- our status as God’s child is a permanent fact, in contrast with the temporary nature of earthly power!

A real democracy cannot truly survive without a moral compass. We can no longer be silent about the atrocities we see. The time has come to wake up, pay attention and be agents without fear to the injustices we see so that all may breathe freely. As Dr. Martin Luther King once said: “Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that.” We, members of All Faiths United, work to be a moral compass that shapes the minds and hearts of our times. Our goal is that all will be able to live joyfully as children of God!

 Sr. Fatima Santiago, ICM



  


Comments

  1. All Faiths UnitedAugust 29, 2020 at 2:55 PM

    Thank you, Sr Fatima. I love your statement that says “our status as God’s child is a permanent fact, in contrast with the temporary nature of earthly power.”

    ReplyDelete

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